Emily Kenny

3 weeks ago | spectrumlocalnews.com | Emily Kenny

Cameron residents in Steuben County have been fighting against the use of sewage sludge for decades, and they are finally seeing progress with local legislation that would ban the spreading of biosolids on farmland.  “I’ve been wanting to have this level of town action for 40, 39 years now,” said Wayne Wells, a resident of Cameron whose creek has been tainted by forever chemicals, which he believes is a result of the neighboring farm’s use of sewage sludge.

3 weeks ago | mynews13.com | Emily Kenny

The New York Farm Bureau and Northeast Dairy Producers Association are lauding the inclusion of multiple important agricultural funding items in the New York state budget. “New York Farm Bureau works hard all year to protect agriculture in New York state. It’s often a difficult process, but because we make our voice heard, we were able to secure these wins,” said David Fisher, president of the organization.

3 weeks ago | mynews13.com | Emily Kenny

The Onondaga County Health Department will use $5 million from the New York state Farm to School program for a food business venture center at the CNY Regional Market.  “Onondaga County and Central New York is blessed with a rich diverse agricultural economy and my administration has worked diligently to support and grow access to our abundance of fresh, locally grown products,” Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said in a statement Tuesday morning.

3 weeks ago | mynews13.com | Emily Kenny

Beekeepers around the U.S. have seen many of their bees die of an unknown cause over the winter this year. New York’s largest apiary was spared, but others weren’t so lucky. “Based on early numbers that are coming in, it’s suggestive that this will be the biggest loss of honeybee colonies in U.S. history,” said Scott McArt, director of the Dyce Lab for Honeybee Studies at Cornell University.

1 month ago | mynews13.com | Emily Kenny

Tim Custer, a fourth-generation maple producer in Cuyler, taps about 15,000 trees each year – and he’s looking to grow. Knowing New York has a process for leasing trees on state land for tapping, he went on a quest last year to get permission to tap trees on state land that abuts his property. Custer explains the different grades of maple syrup. (Emily Kenny/Spectrum News 1)Since 2022, the state Department of Enviornmental Conservation issued just two requests for proposals to tap on state land.